Method of increasing product expression through solute stress

ABSTRACT

A method of determining the optimal level of product expression and cell growth of animal cell culture is described. The method generally comprises culturing cells under conditions of solute stress, that is, under conditions whereby optimal cell growth or growth rate is decreased yet levels of product expression are increased. In a preferred embodiment of the invention is described a method of increasing the yield of monoclonal antibodies comprising culturing hybridoma cells in an environment of solute stress. One approach to the creation of such an environment is the addition of inorganic salts, organic polyols, or metabolic products to the culture medium. One-to three-fold increases in antibody yield have been obtained by these methods.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/482,421, filedJun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,891, which is a continuation ofU.S. Pat. Ser. No. 07/841,906, filed Feb. 26, 1992, now abandoned, whichis a continuation of U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 07/443,445, filed Nov. 29, 1989,now abandoned, which is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No.07/122,015, filed Nov. 18, 1987, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the general field of biochemicalengineering. More specifically, this invention is in the field of celland tissue culture dealing primarily with somatic hybrid cell culture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the advent of hybridoma technology and the accompanyingavailability of monoclonal antibodies, the application of suchantibodies has escalated into a variety of areas of the biologicalsciences. For example, monoclonal antibodies have been used for thestudy of cell surface antigens, for affinity purification of proteins,for histocompatibility testing, for studying various viruses and forradioimmunoassay. More recently, it has been recognized that monoclonalantibodies may have medical application for drug targeting andimmunotherapy (Poynton, C. H., and Reading, C. L. (1984) Exp Biol44:13-33). With the increased application of the antibodies in thebiological and medicinal sciences, there has come a concomitant demandfor high levels of antibody production.

To date, efforts have been undertaken to develop culture conditions tomaximize cell culture growth and thereby increase resultant productyield. Early work in the development of chemically defined animal cellculture media focused on the formulation of such media to achieve rapidcell proliferation (White, P. R. (1946) Growth 10:231-289, and Waymouth,C. (1974) J Natl Cancer Inst 53:1443-1448). Such media incorporatespecific nutrients, especially amino acids, vitamins, purines, andpyrimidines. Today some of the more widely used basal media formammalian cell cultures include Hams F-12, Dulbecco's modified Eagle'smedium (DME), RPMI 1640, and Iscove's modified DME. All of theseabove-referenced basal media are also supplemented with several tracemetals and salts, including the major cations (potassium, sodium,calcium, magnesium and the like) with concentration values near isotoniclevels. The role of inorganic nutrition in cell culture is discussed ina number of references including Shooter. .A., and Gey, G. O. (1952) BrJ Exp Pathol 33:98-103; Waymouth, C. (1974) supra; Birch, J R., andPirt, S. J. (1971) J Cell Sci 8:693-700; Ham, R. G., Growth of Cells inHormonally Defined Media, Cold Spring Harbor Conferences on CellProliferation, Vol. 9, Sato, Pardee and Sirbashin, eds., 1982.

Culture media have been developed specifically for low serum andserum-free mammalian cell cultures for production of monoclonalantibodies. One such serum-free medium is disclosed in European PatentPublication 076,647, published Apr. 13, 1983. Other media have beendeveloped by changing levels of supplements such as trace elements,vitamin and hormone additives wherein variations in the traditionalbasal media are slight. References to such media include, for example,Barnes, D., and Sato, G. (1980) Cell 22:649-655; Cleveland, W. L., et al(1983) J Immunol Meth 56:221-234; Iscove, N., and Melchers, F. (1978) JExp Med 147:923-933; Kawamoto, T., et al (1983) Analytical Biochemistry130:445-453; Kovar, J., and Franek, F. (1984) Immunology Letters7:339-345; Murakami, H., et al (1983) Agric Biol Chem 47(8):1835-1840;Murakami, H., et al (1982) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79:1158-1162; Muzik,H., et al (1982) In Vitro 18:515-524; and Wolpe, S. D., “In VitroImmunization and Growth of Hybridomas in Serum-Free Medium”, in J. P.Mather, ed., Mammalian Cell Culture, Plenum Press, New York, 1984.

In addition to providing the right kinds and amounts of nutrients, theculture medium must also provide suitable physicochemical conditions.Parameters that are important for clonal growth of hybridoma cellculture include osmolality, pH buffering, carbon dioxide tension, andpartial pressure of oxygen. These all must be adjusted to optimal valuesfor multiplication of each type of cell with, preferably, minimal or noamounts of serum and minimal amounts of protein. Other physical factorssuch as temperature and illumination must also be controlled carefully.

Efforts to increase antibody yield have focused primarily on means tooptimize cell growth and cell density. The optimal conditions for cellgrowth of mammalian cell culture are generally within narrow ranges foreach of the parameters discussed above. For example, typical cultureconditions for mammalian hybridoma cell culture use a basal culturemedium supplemented with nutritional additives, pH in the range of 6.8to 7.4 at 35-37° C.

As a general point of reference, antibody titers from murine hybridomacell lines are highly variable from cell line to cell line and rangetypically from 10 to 350 ug/ml (Lambert, K. J., et al (1987) Dev IndustMicrobiol 27:101-106). Human monoclonal antibody expression fromhuman/human or human/mouse fusions are also highly variable from cellline to cell line and range typically from 0.1 to 25 ug/ml (Hubbard, R.,Topics in Enzyme and Fermentation Biotechnology, chap. 7, pp. 196-263,Wiseman, A., ed., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1983). These values areindicative of culture conditions that are optimized for cell growth andcell viability.

Another example from the literature documents that, at least for somecell lines, monoclonal-antibody production proceeds even after a culturestops growing (Velez, D., et al., (1986) J Imm Methods 86:45-52;Reuveny, S., et al., (1986) ibid at p. 53-59). Thus, one strategy forincreasing monoclonal antibody yield has been to develop cultureconditions that allow growth of hybridomas to higher cell densities andto recover the antibodies late in the stationary phase of cell culture.Arathoon, W., and Birch, J. (1986) Science 232:1390-1395 reported that a1,000 liter hybridoma fermentation produced about 80 grams of monoclonalantibody during the growth phase and another 170 grams of antibodyduring an extended stationary/death phase. It was not reported themeans, if any, by which the stationary phase of growth was extended.

Another approach from the literature to increasing antibody productionis to achieve high cell densities by cell recycle or entrapment methods.Examples of these methods include hollow fiber reactors (Altshuler, G.L., et al (1986) Biotechnol Bioeng XXVIII, 646-658); static maintenancereactors (Feder, J., et al, EPA 83870128.2, published Nov. 7, 1984);ceramic matrix reactors (Marcipar, A., et al (1983) Annals N.Y. Acad Sci413:41&420); bead immobilized reactors (Nilsson, K., et al (1983) Nature302:629-630); perfusion reactors (Feder, J., and Tolbert, W. R. (1985)American Biotechnol Laboratory III:24-36); and others. In some cases, a“resting” cell culture state is reported to be achieved by reducinglevels of nutrients in the medium (as by reducing serum or proteinsupplement levels) with antibody production continuing while growth isslowed.

While a variety of methods to increase antibody yield from hybridomacell culture are being explored, the primary focus is still on theoptimization of cell growth. We have discovered that culture conditionsfor growth optimization and for optimal product expression may differand that product expression can be increased under conditions of solutestress, created by the addition of certain solutes, notwithstanding theresulting growth inhibitory effects.

The concept of subjecting animal cells, especially mammalian cellcultures, to an environment of solute stress to produce higher productexpression yields, such as increased antibody titers, has not beenreported. One means for introducing such an environment to the cultureis through salt addition which is easily monitored by measuring theosmolality of the culture medium.

Media osmolality for mammalian cell culture is usually held in the rangeof 280-300 (Jakoby, W.B., and Pastan, I.H., Methods in Enzymology, vol.LVIII, “Cell Culture”, Academic Press (1979), pp. 136-137). Of course,the optimal value may depend upon the specific cell type. For example,as reported in Tissue Culture, Methods and Apolications, edited byKruse, Jr., P.F. and Patterson, Jr., M.K., Academic Press (1973) p. 704,human lymphocytes survive best at low (about 230 milliosmole/kg(mOsmollkg)0, and granulocytes at higher osmolalities (about 330mOsmol/kg.) Mouse and rabbit eggs develop optimally in vivo at around270 mOsmollkg, 250-280 mOsmollkg being satisfactory, while above 280mOsmol/kg development is retarded. Iscove reports 280 mOsmollkg to beoptimum for growth of murine lymphocytes and hemopojetic cells, andIscoves modified DME is adjusted for this growth promoting osmolality(Iscove, N.N. (1984) Method for Serum-Free Culture of Neuronal andLvmphoid Cells, pp. 169-185, Alan R. Liss, ed., New York.

The spread of quality control osmolality values on a number ofcommercially available tissue culture media is provided in a tablebeginning at page 706 in the Tissue Culture, Methods and Applicationsreference, supra. The osmolality values given therein reflect the280-300 range used for mammalian cell culture.

Another means to introduce an environment of solute stress in the cellculture is through the addition of cellular metabolic products, such aslactic acid and ammonia. These products are generally known to be growthinhibitory agents and strategies to reduce the level of these productsin the culture medium in order to enhance cell growth have beenreported. Imamura, T., et al (1982) Analytical Biochemistry 124:353-358;Leibovitz, A. (1963) Am J Hyg 78:173-180; Reuveny, S., et al (1986) JImmunological Methods 86:53-59; Thorpe, J. S., et al (1987) “The Effectof Waste Products of Cellular Metabolism on Growth and Protein Synthesisin a Mouse Hybridoma Cell Line”, Paper #147 presented at AmericanChemical Society National Meeting, Aug. 30-Sep. 5, 1987, New Orleans,La.—Symposium on Nutrition and Metabolic Regulation in Animal CellCulture Scale-Up; and Glacken, M. W., et al (1986) Biotechnology &Bioengineering XXVIII:1376-1389.

Contrary to the teaching in the art which cautions against majoradjustments to culture media osmolality and other physicochemicalparameters, we have found that introducing an environment of solutestress during fermentation can favor an increase in specific (per cell)antibody expression and/or increased culture longevity which can resultin an increase in antibody titer. It is to such a concept that thisinvention is directed. Briefly, in a preferred embodiment of theinvention, an approach to mammalian cell culture which further optimizesyield of antibody production has been developed in which hybridoma cellsare cultured under conditions of controlled solute stress. Optionally,the method incorporates prior art advances including the culture ofhybrid mammalian cell lines in serum-free media or in high densityculture to reduce costs and facilitate purification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, this invention is directed to a method of determining theoptimal level of product expression in animal cell culture wherein theconcentration of a solute of interest in a culture medium compositionfor optimal product expression is different than the culture mediumcomposition determined for optimal cell growth, which method comprises:

-   -   a) growing the animal cell culture in medium to determine        optimal cell: growth;    -   b) varying the concentration of the solute in the culture medium        to a concentration above that optimal for cell growth which        concentration is effective to create an environment of solute        stress on the cell culture;    -   c) monitoring the product expression under the varying solute        concentrations to determine optimal product expression; and    -   d) selecting the solute concentration that provides the optimal        combination of cell growth and product expression which allows        for optimal productivity.

In another aspect of this invention is provided a method of increasingthe production of monoclonal antibodies during cell culture comprisingculturing hybridoma cells under controlled solute stress conditions.

A preferred method of this invention comprises culturing IgM-producinghybridoma cells.

Another preferred method of this invention comprises culturing hybridomacells which produce IgG.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims. Other embodiments of the inventionembodying the same or equivalent principles may be used andsubstitutions may be made as desired by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting form the present invention and the purview of the appendedclaims.

The invention described herein draws on previous work, includingscientific papers, patents, and pending patent applications. All ofthese publications and applications as cited previously and below arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the effect of 400 mOsmol/kg media on antibody yields ofhuman/human/murine trioma D-234 cells in serum-free HL-1 media. Theclosed circles represent cell growth in 300 mOsmol/kg media and the opencircles represent the resulting IgM antibody yield. The closed squaresrepresent cell growth in 400 mOsmol/kg media and the open squaresrepresent resulting IgM antibody yield.

FIG. 2 shows the effect of ammonium chloride on production of antibodiesof D-234 cells. The closed circles represent cell growth in the absenceof ammonium chloride and the open circles represent the resulting IgMantibody yield. The open triangles represent cell growth in the presenceof 10 mM ammonium chloride and the closed triangles represent resultingantibody yield.

FIG. 3 shows the effect of sodium chloride on specific production rateof IgG antibody by hybridoma 454A12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As used herein the term “hybridoma” refers to a hybrid cell lineproduced by the fusion of two or more cell lines to produce an immortalcell line producing a desired product (such as an antibody). The termincludes hybrids produced by the fusion of a myeloma cell line and anantibody producing cell (such as a splenocyte or plasma cell). The termalso includes progeny of heterohybrid myeloma fusions (e.g., the resultof a fusion with human B cells and a murine myeloma cell line)subsequently fused with a plasma cell, referred to in the art as triomacell lines.

As used herein the term “animal” refers to any vertebrate orinvertebrate species. “Mammalian” indicates any mammalian species, andincludes rabbits, rodents (e.g., rats, hamsters and mice), dogs, cats,primates and humans, preferably humans.

As used herein the term “solute” indicates a water soluble agent,including but not limited to inorganic salts and the corresponding ionsthereof; organic polyols, including polypropylene glycol, glycerol andsugars such as, for example, glucose, mannose, fructose and mannitol;and metabolic products such as, for example, lactate or ammonia; whichis effective in producing increased product expression.

As used herein the term “solute stress” refers to the addition ofsolutes in such concentrations, at least above that concentrationdetermined for optimal cell growth, that produce a growth inhibitoryeffect or reduced final cell density, that is, a growth rate or maximumcell density less than that determined for optimal growth. However, thelevel of product expressed at this reduced growth level is comparativelygreater than that level of expression achieved at the optimal growthrate owing to an increase in specific (per cell) product expression rateor an increase in longevity of the culture.

As used herein the term “osmolality” refers to the total osmoticactivity contributed by ions and non-ionized molecules to a mediasolution. Osmolality, like molality, relates to weight of solvent(mOsmollkg H20) while osmolarity, like molarity, relates to volume(mOsM/liter solution). Osmolality is one method used to monitor solutestress. Standard osmolality refers to the optimum range of clonal growthof mammalian cells which occurs at 290±30 mOsmoLfkg.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, methods have been developedfor the high level production of mammalian, preferably human or murine,monoclonal antibodies for use as diagnostic reagents or for use in humantherapy. In particular, a method of determining the optimal level ofproduct expression in mammalian cell culture has been developed whereinthe concentration of a solute of interest in a culture mediumcomposition for optimal product expression is different than the culturemedium composition determined for optimal cell growth, which methodcomprises:

-   -   a) growing the mammalian cell culture in medium to determine        optimal cell growth;    -   b) varying the concentration of the solute in the culture medium        to a concentration above that optimal for cell growth which        concentration is effective to create an environment of solute        stress on the cell culture;    -   c) monitoring the product expression under the varying solute        concentrations to determine optimal product expression; and    -   d) selecting the solute concentration that provides the optimal        combination of cell growth and product expression which allows        for optimal productivity.

Following the methodology set forth herein, one is able to determine thesolute concentration that provides the optimal combination of cellgrowth and product expression for any particular cell line of interest.Once the solute concentration has been determined, one is able to createan environment of controlled solute stress for culturing the mammaliancell lines and thereby stimulate specific (per cell) product expressionand/or increase culture longevity, notwithstanding the inhibitory growtheffect on the cultured cells.

The mammalian cell culture used in the present invention includes, butis not limited to, any of a number of cell lines of both B-cell andT-cell origin, including murine thymic lymphoma cells, murine myelomacells lines, murine plasmacytoma cell lines, murine hybridoma, humanmyeloma cell lines, human plasmacytoma cell lines, and humanlymphoblastoid cells and hybridomas. Accordingly, the product to beoptimized includes growth factors, lymphokines, and monoclonalantibodies. The cell cultures may include cell lines which are found tonaturally produce such desired products, or have been manipulated bygenetic engineering techniques to produce recombinant products.

Solute stress is introduced into the cell culture fermentation by theaddition of one or more solutes which effectively inhibit optimal cellgrowth. The solute can be added at various time periods during thefermentation including prior to, during or after the addition of cells.While such changes to the culture media negatively affect the growth ofcultured cells (given the narrow growth parameters known for optimalcell growth) the present invention lies in the discovery that culturingcells in such an environment of solute stress can positively impactspecific cell productivity and culture longevity, thereby increasingproduct yield.

Solute stress which is effective in increasing the product yield can beachieved by increasing the concentration of a solute already present ina culture medium or introducing a new solute to the medium.

In the method of the invention, a sub-lethal solute concentration rangeis first determined in order to study the solute inhibitory growtheffect. This determination is necessary as each cell line may haveunique tolerance levels to the selected solute. As a second step,various sub-lethal concentrations are studied in more detail toestablish the conditions for optimal cell productivity which isresponsible for increased product expression. From the data thusgenerated, one may determine the solute concentration that provides forthe optimal combination of cell growth and product expression.

The following discussion, concerning the various types of solutes thatmay be used in the methods of the present invention, also provides anumber of preferred concentration ranges that have been determined forspecific hybridoma cell lines. Other cell lines may have somewhatdifferent tolerance levels. These ranges are provided as a guide fordetermining the optimal combination of growth and product expressionlevels for a variety of cultured cells and are not to be construed as alimitation of the invention. The concentration ranges provided hereinare a good indicator of a possible concentration range for the specificcell line of interest.

The solutes of the invention comprise a number of inorganic salts andions thereof, including, for example, sodium chloride, potassiumchloride, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and the like, andcombinations thereof. Preferred salts include sodium chloride andcombinations of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. An effectiveconcentration range for the increased production of monoclonalantibodies by the cell lines D-234 and T-88, using salts such as sodiumchloride is 340 to 460 mOsmol/kg, with 350 to 400 mOsmol/kg being morepreferred for the cell line D-234 and 400 to 450 mOsmol/kg being morepreferred for the cell line T-88. An effective concentration for theincreased per cell productivity of monoclonal antibodies by the cellline 454A12, using sodium chloride, is about 400 mOsmol/kg.

The concentration values given above, as well as all concentrationranges provided herein regardless of the method of solute concentrationmeasurement used, have been established prior to the addition of cells.However, the solute may be added before, during or after cell addition.The timing of the solute addition is generally not critical, as it hasbeen found that increasing solute stress by, for example, salt addition,may be performed at various time points during the exponential phase ofthe growth cycle to achieve an increase in antibody yield. Of course,one skilled in the art will appreciate that the concentration of themetabolic solutes will increase during the course of the fermentation.

In addition to the aforementioned salts, it has been found that soluteswhich are generally believed to have inhibitory growth effects may alsobe used in the present invention. For example, lactic acid, a majormetabolic end product of glycolysis in hybridoma cell culture,participates in the lowering of the pH during growth, producingsub-optimal growth conditions. The lactate ion itself, may also begrowth inhibitory. Efforts have been made to reduce lactic acidproduction by replacing glucose with alternative sugars (i.e., fructoseand galactose) that are less easily metabolized to lactate. It has beenassumed that reduction of the level of lactate in the culture mediumwould enhance both cell growth and antibody production.

However, the present invention demonstrates that the presence of lactateduring fermentation can effectively increase antibody yieldnotwithstanding its inhibitory growth effects. Using the methodology ofthe present invention, a sub-lethal concentration range (0 to 100 mMsodium lactate) was first determined in order to study the lactateinhibition effect. Various sub-lethal concentrations of sodium lactateare subsequently tested for the effect on product expression. For thecell line D-234, an effective concentration range for sodium lactate is40 to 60 mM.

Ammonia is another substance that has concerned cell culturists due toits negative effects on cell growth. It is produced by cellularmetabolism of amino acids as well as by spontaneous decomposition ofglutamine. It has been assumed that reduction of ammonia in hybridomacultures would benefit both cell growth and antibody production.However, as demonstrated herein, an increase in antibody titer wasobserved despite the inhibition of cell growth in the presence ofammonium chloride. For the cell line D-234, a preferred concentrationrange for ammonia chloride addition is 3 to 20 mM, with 10-15 mM beingmore preferred.

The organic polyols useful in the invention include glycerol,polypropylene glycol (PPG) and a variety of low molecular weight sugarsincluding, for example, glucose, mannose, fructose and mannitol. Ofthese organic polyols, glucose is preferred, and for the cell lineD-234, an effective concentration range for glucose is 6 to 20 g/l, with7 to 15 g/l being preferred. Another preferred organic polyol ispolypropylene glycol. For the cell line 454A12, an effectiveconcentration of polypropylene glycol is about 8 μl/L.

The method of the invention is operable with any of a variety ofwell-known and/or commercially available mammalian cell culture media.Such suitable culture media includes serum-free media such as HL-1(Ventrex Labs, Portland, Me.), HB104 (Hana Biologicals, Berkeley,Calif.), Iscove's DME medium (Gibco, Grand Island, N.Y.) and RPMI-1640medium (Gibco) or media supplemented with serum. The hybridomas used inthe present method are preferably adapted for growth and maintenance inserum-free medium for large-scale, reproducible spinner cultureproduction of monoclonal antibodies using, for example, the step-wisemethod described in U.S. Ser. No. 057,763, filed Jun. 3, 1987, entitled“Gram-Negative Bacterial Endotoxin Blocking Monoclonal Antibodies”, byJames W. Larrick et al., assigned to Cetus Corporation, the descriptionof which is incorporated herein by reference. The method of theinvention has been shown to increase antibody titer regardless of thepresence or absence of serum in the medium. The cell lines used in thepresent invention may be cell lines of diverse mammalian origin. Rat,mouse, hamster, primate and human embodiments are contemplated, withhuman and murine embodiments illustrated in the examples which follow.The antibodies may be of any class with IgM and IgG types beingspecifically exemplified herein. The human embodiments specificallyexemplified herein are the products of triomas synthesized by somaticcell hybridization using a mouse x human parent hybrid cell line andEpstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed human peripheral blood lymphocytes(PBLs) or splenocytes from non-immunized volunteers or volunteersimmunized with available Gram-negative bacterial vaccines or inactivatedGram-negative bacteria. Fresh PBLs or splenocytes (not transformed) maybe used, if desired. A detailed description of the synthesis of thehybridomas, including the fusion protocol, enzyme-linked immunosorbentassays (ELISAs) and hybrid screening procedure, exemplified in thefollowing examples is disclosed in U.S. Serial No. 057,763, supra. Thediscussion of these procedures is incorporated herein by reference.

Briefly, the mouse-human heterohybrid fusion partner designated F3B6 wasconstructed by fusing human PBL B cells obtained from a blood bank withthe murine plasmacytoma cell line NS1 obtained from the American TypeCulture Collection (ATCC) under ATCC No. TIB18 (P3/NS1/1-AG4-1). Theresulting hybrid cells were adapted for growth in 99% serum-free mediumand deposited with the ATCC under ATCC No. HB-8785.

The heterohybrid F3B6 cells and positive EBV-transformed PBL B cellswere then used to construct hybridoma cells lines which secreteantibodies illustrative for use in the method of the present invention.A preferred strategy for preparing and identifying such hybrids follows.Cells (PBLs, splenocytes, etc.) are panned on cell-walllipopolysaccharide (LPS) (an endotoxin of a gram-negative bacteria whichproduces bacteremia) coated tissue culture plates, then EBV transformedand fused to the tumor fusion partner (mouse myeloma x human B cell orrat myeloma). Panning involves incubation of the population ofimmunocompetent cells on a plastic surface coated with the relevantantigen. Antigen-specific cells adhere.

Following removal of non-adherent cells, a population of cellsspecifically enriched for the antigen used is obtained. These cells aretransformed by EBV and cultured at approximately 10 ³ cells permicrotiter well using an irradiated lymphoblastoid feeder cell layer.Supematants from the resulting lymphoblastoid cells are screened byELISA against an E. coli Rc lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a Salmonella ReLPS. Cells that are positive for either Rc or Re lipid A LPS areexpanded and fused to a 6-thioguanine-resistant mouse x human B cellfusion partner. If the mouse x human B cell fusion partner is used,hybrids are selected in ouabain and azaserine: Supernatatants from theRc or Re positive hybrids are assayed by ELISA against a spectrum ofGram-negative baceria and purified Gram-negative bacterial LPSs.Cultures exhibiting a wide range of activity are chosen for in vivo LPSneutralizing activity. Many but not all antibodies so produced are ofthe 1gM class and most demonstrate binding to a wide range of purifiedlipid A's or rough LPS's. The antibodies demonstrate binding to varioussmooth LPS's and to a range of clinical bacterial isolates by ELISA.

Two of the hybridoma cell lines which produce the Gram-negativebacterial endotoxin blocking antibodies described above were used toillustrate the methods of the present invention. D-234 and T-88 arerepresentative of hybridomas used in the methods of the presentinvention to produce increased yields of their respective monoclonalantibodies. D-234 was adapted to growth and maintenance in serum-freemedium for large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies. The D-234hybridoma was created from a fusion of the heterohybrid fusion partnerF3B6 and human B lymphocytes; a hybridoma sample adapted for growth inserum-free media was deposited with the ATCC under accession numberHB-8598. The T-88 hybridoma is a fusion product of the same heterohybridF3B6 and human splenocytes from a lymphoma patient. A sample of thishybridoma (that was not adapted for growth in serum-free media) wasdeposited with the ATCC under accession number HB-9431. In addition, asubsequent hybridoma passage of D-234 was deposited with the ATCC underaccession number HB-9543. These latter two hybridoma cell lines arespecifically exemplified in the following examples.

The murine-murine hybridoma cell line, 454A12, used as an example herewas formed from the fusion of a mouse splenocyte and a mouse myelomafusion cell partner. This hybridoma produces IgG monoclonal antibodiesspecific for human transferrin receptor. The 454A12 hybridoma, itsproduction, and the antibody it produced were described in U.S. patentapplication, Ser. No. 069,867, “Anti-human Ovarian Cancer Immunotoxinsand Methods of Use Thereof”, filed Jul. 6, 1987, applicants Bjorn, M. J.et al.

The following examples are illustrative of this invention. They are notintended to be limiting upon the scope thereof.

EXAMPLE 1 Culture of D-234

A one ml ampule of frozen D-234 stock (ATCC HB-95 43) was thawed quicklyin a 37° C. water bath. The contents were aseptically added to 100 mlprewarmed, pregassed (95% air and 5% GO2), serum-free HL-1 medium(Ventrex Labs, Portland, Me.) supplemented with 0.1% Pluronic polyolF-68 and 8 mM L-glutaxnine in a 250 ml Erlenmyer flask with a looselyfitted plastic screw cap. The flask was placed in a humidified incubator(36.5° C., 90% relative humidity and 5% GO2) and cultured with shakingat 100-120 revolutions per minute (rpm).

This parent culture was subcultured during mid-exponential phase, about2-4 days after inoculation, when the cell density was approximately5×10⁵ to 1×10⁶ viable cells per ml. The subcultures were grown in thedaughter flasks under the same culture conditions as above, startingwith the initial inoculum of 1×10⁵ and 5×10⁴ viable cells/ml. The cellswere counted using a Coulter Counter, and viability was determined bytrypan blue exclusion using an hemocytometer. Maximum total celldensities were around 1.7 million with viable cell densities around 1million.

For standard batch production, the cultures were allowed to grow tocompletion which occurs about 7 to 10 days from planting by which timecell viability had declined to 30% or less. The cells were harvested bycentrifugation (3,000 rpm for 5 min) to separate the cells and purifythe antibodies.

The resulting antibody yield was determined by enzyme-linkedimmunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) using a standard IgM ELISA but modified byusing a high salt (i.e., at least 0.5 M NaCl) assay buffer. IgM titerswere around 40 ug/ml.

EXAMPLE 2 Effect of Salt Addition on IgM Production In D-234

The following treatments were set up in 100 ml working volume shakeflasks at standard planting densities in HL-1 with 0.1% pluronic F-68and 8 mM glutamine. A 3.75 M salt solution (27:1 molar ratio NaCl:KCl)was used to increase salt concentration beyond that of the standard HL-1medium.

Approximately 1×10⁵ viable cells/ml were used to inoculate theaforementioned culture medium, which was used as the control sample. Inaddition, 1×10⁵ viable cells/ml were inoculated into a 400 mOsmol/kginitial osmolality medium. A third sample was formed by inoculating thestandard osmolality medium and, after 88 hours of culture, the 3.75 Msalt solution was added to a final concentration of 400 mOsmol/kg. Atthis time point, the cell density was determined indicating that theculture contained ˜1.2×10⁶ vc/ml. The cells in each of the threecultures were cultured for 9 days, during which time the cell viabilityand cell density levels were monitored. The IgM titers were determinedfor each of the three experimental runs. The results of theseexperimental runs are provided in FIG. 1 and in Table 1 below. Asindicated therein, a twofold increase in final IgM titers over thecontrol (˜90 mg/L) was correlated with prolonged viability and increasedspecific IgM production rates in 400 mOsmol/kg cultures where growthrate and cell density are reduced.

TABLE 1 D-234 Summary Table 300 mOsmol/kg 400 mOsmol/kg “Add Salt”Control Initial (at 88 Hours) Maximum Total 23 12 22 Cell Density(10⁵/ml) Maximum Viable 15 7.5 14 Cell Density (10⁵/ml) Ave. Expo- 0.0330.028 0.032 nential Growth (0 to 66 hr) (0 to 89 hr) (0 to 89 hr) Ratemu (1/hr) Final IgM 41 88 58 Concentration (mg/L) Ave. Exponen- 0.240.56 0.40 tial IgM Produc- tion Rate (mg/10⁹/hr)

For the 400 mOsmolkg initial culture, exponential growth rate “mu” andmaximum cell density were reduced, which was indicative of solutestress. The duration of the culture was increased in the high osmolalityculture, and the specific IgM productivity rate was twofold to threefoldhigher than the control. The extra IgM over and above the control wasproduced after the peak in viable cell density.

A 1.5-fold increase in final IgM titer to ˜58 mg/L was observed in theculture where salt was added at 88 hours. Specific IgM production ratesincreased from one day after salt addition into the viable cell decline(versus the control, where production rate declined after the viablecell peak), even though there appeared to be little, if any, differencein the growth curve compared to the control.

For the D-234 cell line, salt addition near the peak viable cell densityhas an IgM production enhancing effect in the decline phase without anyextension of the viable cell curve. This suggests that specific IgMproduction rates can be increased without slowing growth (and limitingultimate cell densities) early in culture. However, for D-234, finaltiters are not as high as those achieved in slow growing (limited celldensity) cultures planted in high osmolality medium.

EXAMPLE 3 Effect of Inoculation Density and Timing of Salt Addition

Using the methods described in the foregoing examples, the effects ofinitial inoculation density of D-234 on the specific cell productivityand timing of the salt addition were explored.

A control was run at the standard osmolality of 300 mOsmol/kg mediumusing cultures planted at 5×10⁴ cells/ml. These cells exhibited goodgrowth, but viable cell densities were lower than that produced for thecultures planted at 1×10⁵ cells/ml (and total cell density of 1.6 versus1.9 million) with an extension of the viable phase from six to sevendays. However, final IgM titers were similar. At 370 mOsmol/kg, 5×10⁴cells/ml inoculated cultures resulted in significant growth slowing andlowering of viable cell density and titers, about half compared with1×10⁵ planted cultures.

Various solute stress conditions were tested using the 5×10⁴ inoculationdensity culture. Titers for 300, 340 and 370 cultures were 40, 75, and35 mg/L, respectively. It was found that adding salt at day one insteadof at day zero to the 370 mOsmol/kg allowed the 5×10⁴ culture to reachviable cell densities (5×10⁵ cells/ml) and a titer (65 mg/L IgM)approaching the 1×10^(5, 370) culture values (6×10⁵ cells/ml and 75 mg/LIgM).

From the results of the previous experiment, 340 and 370 mOsmol/kg werechosen as osmolalities to test with salt added on day 0, 1, 2, or 3. Theresults indicated that adding salt at different times to the 370mOsmol/kg culture resulted in a slight increase (60 to 65 mg/L finalIgM) in final titer concentration.

For the 340 mOsmol/kg culture, the addition of salt at day 1 and day 2led to higher titers (˜110 mg/L) than did day 3 addition (˜90 mg/L) orday 0 (˜70 mg/L).

EXAMPLE 4 Effect of Salt Addition on T-88 Growth and IgM Production

T-88 cells were grown in replicate 100 ml working volume shake flasks ofHL-1 media with 0.1% w/v Pluronic polyol F-68, 8 mM glutamine and 5%added fetal calf serum at 300 mOsmol/kg (control); 340 mOsmol/g; 400mOsmol/kg; and 450 mOsmol/kg. Like the above examples, osmolality wasincreased by the addition of a 3.75 M salt solution with a 27:1 molarratio NaCl:KCl. The cultures were grown for 7 days, during which timethe cell density and cell viability were periodically monitored.

Complete growth curves were generated for the control and for the 400mOsmol/kg flasks. The 400 mOsmol/kg growth curve showed slow growth andreduced cell density, therefore indicating solute stress had occurred.The duration of the culture was extended, during which IgM productionover and above the control was obtained. The specific IgM productionrate was higher at 400 mOsmol/kg over most of the culture period. Table2 shown below, illustrates that a 30% reduction in total cell densityand a 20 to 25% increase in final IgM titer for the 400 and 450mOsmol/kg shake flasks was achieved. IgM produced per million cells fromday three to day four was about two times higher at 400 and 450mOsmol/kg compared with the control and 340 mOsmol/kg treatment.Exponential phase doubling time (Td) for the 400 mOsmol/kg treatedflasks was higher than for the control (27 versus 20 hours).

TABLE 2 T-88 + 5% FCS Summary Table Control 300 340 400 450 mOsmol/kgmOsmol/kg mOsmol/kg mOsmol/kg Maximum 23 24 17 17 Total Cell Density(10⁵/ml) Final IgM 37 35 43 46 Concentra- tion (mg/L) IgM Produced 6 715 11 per Million Cells From Day 3 to Day 4 (ug/10⁶ cells/ day) Ave.Exponen- 0.037 0.034 tial Growth (Td 20) (Td 27) Rate mu (1/hr)

EXAMPLE 5 Effect of Lactate on D-234 Growth and IgM Production

This example describes the effect of sodium lactate on growth,viability, and IgM production of D-234.

Approximately 1×10⁵ cells/ml of D-234 were grown in 250 ml shake flasks(agitated at 100 rpm) in HL-1 medium containing 0.1% Pluronic polyolF-68 and 8 mM glutamine. A 1 M stock solution of sodium lactate (pH 7.4)in HL 1 was added to the medium. A preliminary screen of the effect of abroad range of sodium lactate concentrations (0-100 mM) on D-234 growthand IgM production was run. It was determined that growth was greatlyinhibited by levels of added lactate above 40 mM. Cell densities at dayfour were reduced at all levels of lactate tested with a critical dropbetween 40 and 60 mM.

The results of this experiment are given in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3 Effect of Na Lactate on D-234 Growth, and IgM Production InitialTotal Cell Density IgM Lactate 1 × 10⁵/ml (% Viability) ug/ml mM Day 2Day 4 Day 4 Day 7  0 4.7 (95) 21.0 (90) 10 24 20 5.6 (96) 15.0 (92) 2035 40 5.1 (92) 12.9 (89) 22 54 60 2.2 (93)  4.1 (87) 19 61 80 2.1 (81) 2.6 (65) 15 28 100  2.2 (72)  2.0 (50) 11 14

The results indicate that the production of IgM by D-234 was increasedwith increasing concentrations of sodium lactate up to 60 mM wheregrowth was extremely inhibited, and IgM production peaked at 61 ug/mlcompared to the control at 24 ug/ml. Even at 80 mM added lactate, thelevel of IgM produced was similar to that seen for the control, eventhough the cell density was only 12% of the control. Specific (per cell)productivity was increased up to 14-fold (at 60 mM added lactate).

EXAMPLE 6 Effect of NH₄Cl on D-234 Growth and IgM Production

The hybridoma D-234 was grown in HL-1 serum-free medium supplementedwith 0.1% Pluronic polyol F-68, 10 mM glutamine and 10 mM NH₄CL. Acontrol was also run without NH₄Cl. One hundred ml cultures in 250 mlshake flasks were inoculated at an initial density of 1×10⁵ viablecells/ml (91% viability).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the addition of 10 mM NH₄Cl inhibited thegrowth, reduced both viability and the maximum total cell density of theculture (2.3×10⁶/ml for the control vs 1.1×10⁶/ml when 10 mM NH₄Cl wasadded). However, this stress condition prolonged the stationary/declinephase and resulted in a 2-fold increase in the production of IgM.

EXAMPLE 7 Effect of High Glucose Concentration on Antibody Production

The hybridoma D-234 was grown in HL-1 medium (Ventrex) which alreadycontains 5.5 g/l. A 500 g/l stock solution of glucose was used toincrease the glucose level of the HL-1 medium. The total glucose levelstested in this example were 5.5 (control), 10.5, 15.5, and 25.5 g/l.

The 10.5 g/l glucose culture grew more slowly than the control and beganto die sooner. While the control reached a maximum of 8.7×10⁵ viablecells/ml, the 10.5 g/l stressed culture reached 7.1×10⁵ viable cells/ml.However, the death phase of this culture was longer than the controlresulting in higher antibody production: 85 verses 67 mg/l.

The 15.5 g/l glucose culture proved to be very stressful for D-234resulting in a low maximum viable cell density (4.3×10⁵ viable cells/ml)and producing IgM at 50 mg/l. The 25.5 g/l glucose condition proved tobe lethal.

EXAMPLE 8 Effect of Polypropylene Glycol on IgG Production

The following experiment showed that when polypropylene glycol (PPG) wasadded to hybridoma 454A12 cell culture, it increased the IgG productionof the hybridoma by 40%. Though PPG limited the maximum cell densityachievable by the culture, it slowed the decline in culture viabilityafter the peak density had been attained.

The hybridoma 454A12 was grown in 125 ml shake flasks filled to 50 mlwith HL-1 and 4 mM glutamine. The test sample contained 8 μl/L ofpolypropylene glycol whereas the control was without the PPG.

It was observed that the test sample exhibited an exponential phasegrowth rate similar to the control at 0.054 hour⁻¹. However, the testsample experienced a lag in growth of one day, and a higher exponentialphase death rate of 0.0059 hr⁻¹. Additionally, the test sample had alower maximum cell density than the control. The test sample reached amaximum cell density of only 1.3 million cells/ml, whereas the controlreached a maximum cell density of 2 million cells/ml.

Beyond the maximum cell density peak, the decline in cell viability inthe test sample was slower than in the control. The test sample yieldeda final IgG concentration of 63 μg/ml, which was about 40% higher thanthe control, which yielded 46 μg/ml of IgG.

EXAMPLE 9 Effect of Sodium Chloride on IgG Production

In another experiment, the 454A12 hybridomas were grown in shake flaskswith commercially available HL-1 medium (Ventrex) supplemented with 8 mMglutamine. Osmolality of the standard (control) HL-1 medium was 300mOsmol/kg. In the test sample, the osmolality was increased to 400mOsmolkg using sodium chloride. The result of solute stress in the testsample was evidenced by a 50% decrease in maximum cell density. In thestressed condition, the specific IgG production rate per cell increasedthroughout the culture period. The increase in specific productivity wasgreatest during the post exponential phase period of the culture whenspecific productivity was more than 60% higher under the stressedcondition (FIG. 3).

Deposition of Cultures

The hybridomas used in the above examples, except for 454A12, toillustrate the method of the present invention were deposited in andaccepted by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 12301 ParklawnDrive, Rockville, Md., USA, under the terms of the Budapest Treaty. Inaddition, the mouse×human fusion partner F3B6 adapted to 99% serum-freemedium which partner was the source of these hybridomas was similarlydeposited with the ATCC. The deposit dates and the accession numbers aregiven below:

Culture Deposit Date Accession No. D-234 August 10, 1984 HB-8598 D-234September 17, 1987 HB-9543 T-88 May 19, 1987 HB-9431 F3B6 April 18, 1935HB-8785

Samples of the 454A12 hybridomas had been deposited with In VitroInternational, Inc., (formerly at 7885 Jackson Road, Suite 4, Ann Arbor,Mich. 48103, U.S.A., currently at 611 P. Hammonds Ferry Road, Linthicum,Md. 21090, U.S.A., telephone number (301) 789-3636) on Jun. 18, 1985,under the Accession No. IVI10075. This deposit was made under theBudapest Treaty and will be maintained and made accessible according tothe provisions thereof.

Availability of the deposited cell lines are not to be construed as alicense to practice the invention in contravention of the rights grantedunder the authority of any government in accordance with its patentlaws.

Also, the present invention is not to be considered limited in scope bythe deposited hybridomas, since they are intended only to beillustrative of particular aspects of the invention. Any animal cellline (including any hybridoma) which can be used for production ofprotein according to the methods described in this patent application isconsidered within the scope of this invention. Further, variousmodifications of the invention in addition to those shown and describedherein apparent to those skilled in the art from the precedingdescription are considered to fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method of determining the optimal level of product expression inanimal cell culture wherein the concentration of a solute of interest ina culture medium composition for optimal product expression is differentthan the concentration of said solute in the culture medium compositiondetermined for optimal cell growth, which method comprises: a) growingthe animal cell culture in a culture medium to determine optimal cellgrowth; b) varying the concentration of the solute in the culture mediumto a concentration above that optimal for cell growth, whichconcentration is effective to create an environment of solute stress onthe cell culture as expressed by an inhibitory effect on cell growth orcell density of said cell culture; c) monitoring the product expressionas concentration of the solute is varied in the culture medium todetermine optimal product expression; and d) selecting the soluteconcentration that provides the optimal combination of cell growth andproduct expression, which allows for optimal productivity.
 2. The methodof claim 1 where said animal cell culture is a mammalian cell culture.3. The method of claim 2, wherein said mammalian cell culture is ahybridoma cell culture that expresses monoclonal antibodies.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the hybridoma cell culture produces IgM orIgG monoclonal antibodies.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein saidmonoclonal antibodies are human or murine monoclonal antibodies.